~Byron Katie
Did you watch the TV show The Wonder Years? Throughout this show the audience hears the main character’s inner dialogue. Have you ever observed the inner commentator to your life? Did you notice there is one? I call it “the voice in the head” which can tell happy stories or sad stories. What I’ve realized is that it’s not about trying to control this voice all the time, instead see how changing your relationship with the voice, helps you live in a more empowering and freer way.
Ok, so there’s what’s actually happening in reality and then there’s the story we interpret from what’s going on. Here’s a good example, you go out on a date or go to an interview for a job and now you’re at home but you haven’t heard from them yet. The reality is you are at your home, sitting at your desk, drinking your tea but in your mind you’re buying into all these stories. This inner voice is telling you things like “he/she doesn’t like me” “I won’t get that job” and the story takes off from there. And since feelings follow thoughts, you begin feeling all uptight, nervous, insecure and so on.
A wise woman named Byron Katie says “Reality is always kinder than the stories we tell ourselves about it”. As an experiment, notice today how often you “take-off” from what’s really going on. Each time you catch yourself, be gentle, it’s just about noticing. Take one deep breath in, feel your feet on the ground and let the mind clear. Bring your awareness back to what’s happening now: notice how your body feels, what you smell, hear, etc. As you bring yourself back, check in for yourself and see if what is happening is more peaceful without your made up story of it. In my experience a whole new world opens up, one that is always patiently waiting for me to recognize it.
